Community
9 October, 2023
Seniors nominated for state award
THREE Warrnambool residents have been nominated for Victorian Senior of the Year awards.
Andrew Suggett, Phillip Shaw and Heather Ryan have been recognised for their voluntary contributions to the community and are now eagerly awaiting the announcement of the awards.
Mr Suggett’s community work began back in 1980 when he joined the Rotary Club of Warrnambool.
He became one of the charter members of the new Rotary Club of Warrnambool Daybreak in 1998 and just 12 months later was forced into early retirement following his diagnosis of Parkinson’s.
He maintained his infectiously positive outlook on life and resolved not only to do everything he could to improve his own quality of life but to do what he could to help others.
As well as maintaining his involvement in Rotary, Mr Suggett became the daybreak group president in 2000 and six years later became District Governor – a role that saw him travel to Rotary clubs from Geelong through to Mt Gambier.
He was also the inaugural chair of the Warrnambool Rotary House project which saw the creation of a 12-unit facility for families and carers of South West Healthcare patients.
Adding to his commitments, Mr Suggett has been president of the Warrnambool Parkinson’s Support Group since 2009 where he coordinates monthly meetings.
He was also instrumental in the creation of other Parkinson’s sub-groups including Painting with Parkinson’s, ParkinSong and exercise for Parkinson’s activities and initiatives.
Philip Shaw is an active member of no less than six community musical groups, ranging from Cantori, a classically astute A Capella group, to the Tin Shed Singers, a group where many of the members have never sung with other people before.
He brings his unique brand of fun, quirkiness, generosity and musical talent to create one-of-a-kind collaborations that enrich lives - for not only those who hear the performances but also for the groups’ members.
Many of the members in his groups are of retirement age, and the benefits they derive from their participation – the mental health boost, the comradely, the friendship and the feeling of belonging, are life changing.
Heather Ryan was nominated for her voluntary work in gardens across the district.
After moving back to Warrnambool in 2016, Heather joined the Warrnambool Community Garden.
Despite not having a lot of previous gardening experience, she has grown her knowledge over the past seven years and now teachers others. She especially enjoys sharing her knowledge with children.
Among many achievements at the garden itself, she also led the establishment of a kitchen garden at Warrnambool East Primary School and started a community garden club for local primary school students.
Ms Ryan has also documented her gardening journey on Instagram, attracting over 2500 followers worldwide.
